Android M coming with Doze mode for better battery life and USB Type C support

Google has introduced Android M, the successor to Android Lollipop, at its I/O 2015 Keynote. Android M is a powerful platform and comes with numerous enhancements which includes six key areas – fingerprint support, Android Pay, app permissions, web experience, app links, and power & charging.

Android M brings two very useful improvements in the power and charging department, it makes the smartphone batteries last longer and makes their charging faster.

Let us see them one by one:

1. Doze Mode

If your device stays idle for a while, it will go into the Doze mode. The system uses motion sensors and when they don’t sense motion of the handset for some time, it is put into kind of a deep sleep. The background apps will also doze off but the real time, alarms and incoming notifications will still be working.

This will save you a lot of battery life. Google tested the Android M Doze mode in Nexus 9 tablet and its standby battery life increased by 2x in comparison to Nexus 9 having the same apps and settings but running Android L. This is quite impressive but better to remember that this will happen only in case of devices sitting idle. Of course, the smartphones that are frequently in use may also see some improvements.

2. USB Type-C

Android M supports USB Type-C for faster charging. This is a different type of connector which can be used for reversible charging. Actually, such type of connectors are already being used by Google and Apple in the latest Chromebook and MacBook respectively. The connecter can be plugged in from any side as it can transfer power and data in both directions.

Google also promises that the USB Type-C charging will be “Anything from three to four times faster” compared to the current microUSB options available. What’s more, your Android M running smartphone can even be used to charge other devices for example a smartwatch or a tablet, or you can use your Android M tablet to charge your smartphone.